Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1887-04-13
t1aRE1ru rapu vInaunA
Vinpinia. Anril II. 1857,

Virginia, April II, 1857.
Mn. G. H. Williams has been co.
joying very poor health for some
time past.
+. .. Coonen, an old vet. Of tic
war arid . Couk1ER reader, has been
having . round with rheumatism.
Nj. Coonen has been appointed
our assessor to ill vacancy caused by
the death Of Mr.. Seguin. As be is
. gentleman Of discriminate judge
ment tax payers expect . fair assess-
ment this season.
Com. c. H. Williams always has
. twinkle in his eye when lie returns
from the county capital, we'll don't
know either, he is naturally . gen.
ial fellow, aud a republican Of the
straight forward kind.
We think in your last issue of the
COURIER you erred slightly. Wsare
informed it is Andrew, instead Of
John Ring, who holds . position in
the County recordars' Office. Though
the compliment you tender lie sp-
plicable to either of the boys
Oscar Smith, who taught school
in the Cakes district last winter, in
tends to return to his studies in an
eastern college shortly. We are
glad t. see DC. get to the front.
The hay press in this vicinity Nv.
G. Ashmore had ! large amount Of
hay pressd the past week.
The bill passed by the Dakota
legislature last winter. which requires
applicants for a first grade teach.
er's certificate to pass an examina.
ton in the following studies additio.
nal to those prescr ibed previously
is a farce and an unstatesmanly law,
Of the FIRST water. The extra studies
are algebra, geometry, book keeping
vilgovernment, natural philosophy
Three of these are purely mathemat.
ical, and a fourth, to some extent
90. We are told Chat thsss are not
to be taught in the schools necessa.
rily, only therefore, erected As a sort
of barred door to many of our Lest
teachers, who being unable to cope
with such q fofmidable test must
fall back from the FIRST class licences
which they hold at present or al
least, never expect to attain TO the
highest grade il they have not
already acquired it. But some on g
exclaim "there are too many teachers
something has to be done to make
the number less, but of a better
stand for those Who remained"
As there are no additions made to
the examinations prescribed for third
and second grades, it is not just plain
how it will accomplish any thing in
that direction. Many are content
to teach all their lives 1--WE mean till
they getmarriedJ on a low grade Ger.
tiicate, and many Of them are splen.
did teachers too. but that is not the
idea as josh Billings says, the idea
is this, is this new law going to cur
tail the number OF poor teachers or
make q f~irst-class more competent I?
We cannot see il. Possibly If the
latter ever wanted to turn her hand
to surveying or engineering this
broad requirement Of mathematical
learning mightbe ofmuch assistance.
That would be real nice. But why
in the name of common sense should
a teacher possess the mathematical
skill Of q Rittenhouse or even q
Robinson or Davis, to teach the inn
pressible and tender mind of the
young idea" that it is an indisputx-
bic axiom that two and two equal
four. Neither can we see just why
the teacher should be armed with
the fact that conjugate diameters OF
an ellipse are the projections OLDHAM
eters ola circle which are perpendic-
ulartoeach other. 1t may be very nee
essary though. l believe in progress
sion in all things, and firmly in pro-
gressive education. but l feel that
Dakota's legislative sages have turn
ed the hands of the horologe Of time
way ahead in this case, and that
when old father time is cheated Of
doing his special work, that good 10
scarcely ever to result from it.